warrington



(No'ModeL) 6 Sheets-Sheet 1.

JL WARRINGTON. HOMINY MILL. No. 431,631. Patented July 8,1890.

% WW J No Model.) s Shee'tsSheet '2. J. WARRINGTON.

HOMINY MILL. No. 431,631. Patented July 8,1890.

66.116 Z2 gii'gzie.

6 Sheets-Sheet 3.

J. WA'RRINGTON.

(No Model.)

Y HOMI'NY MILL.

Patented July 8,

(No Model.) 6 Sheets-Sheet 5.

J. WARRINGTON. HOMINY MILL.

No. 431,631. Patented July 8', 1890.

HUT II "imam-Jain.

gag?

UNITED'S s PATENT OFFICE.

.IEssE WARRINGTON, oE INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, AssIe oRoEo'NE-HALE TO THE NORDYKE a MARMONOOMPANY OF SAME'PLACE.

HOMlN Y -MlLL.

SFECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 131,631, dated Tilly 8,1890. Application filed February 18, 1390. Serial No. 340,910 (No model.)

To all whm it may concern.-

Be it known that I, .TEssE WARRINeToma citizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hominy- Mills, of which the following is a specification.

My saidinvention relates to that class of machines for treating grain known as hominymills; andit consists in mechanism by which such machines may be automatically charged with grain to be treated, and the product antomatically discharged therefrom after a pre determined period, and in a timing device by which thelength of "the period may also be accurately determined.

My'said invention willfirst be fully described, and then pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, whichare made a part hereof, and on which similar letters of reference indicate similar parts, Figure l is an end elevation of a hominy- Z mill embodying my said invention; Figs. 2

and 3, side elevations of the two sides, re-

spectively; Fig. 4, a top or plan view; Fig. 5, 5

an end elevation of the opposite end from that. shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 6, a transverse vertical sectional view; Fig. 7, a detail view, partly in elevation andpartlyin section, similar in most respects to a portion of Fig. 3; Fig. 8, a detail sectional viewlooking toward ,the right from the dotted line 8 S in Fig. 7; Fig. 9, a detail top or plan view as seen from the dotted line 9 9 in Fig. 1; Fig. 10, a'detail horizontal sectional view looking downwardly from the dotted "line 10 10 inFig. 1; Fig. 11, a detail sectional view looking toward the right from the dotted line 11 11in Fig.8; Fig. 12, a detail sectional view looking toward the left from the dotted line 12 12 in Fig. 9, and Fig. 13 a detail sectional view looking toward the left from the dotted line 13 13 in Figs. 9 and 10. The scale upon which these figures are respectively drawn is indicated upon the drawings,

In said drawings the portions marked A represent the frame-work of the machine; B, the casing containing the operating-cylinder; O, the shaft to said cylinder; D, a shaft ex tending transversely across the shaft 0 and operated therefrom through worm-gears; E, a reciprocating bar operated by said shaft D,

- by which the feeding and discharging gates 'are opened; F, a rod which serves as a pivotand as a track or way-on which this bar swings and travels; G, a vibrating arm 'oper* ated by a crank-pin on the shaft D,'by which,

through suitable mechanism, the bar E isperiodically thrown into engagementwith the pinion on the shaft D; H, a ratchet-wheel forming part of said mechanism, on which the ,arm G is mounted; I, a disk carrying a pawl ,which engages with said ratchet, and which automatically reverses its positionfrom time to time; J, the worm-wheel of the timing attachment by which the periods between the reversing of the pawl is-deterrnined; K, a tripping-lever adapted to' engage with a projection on the rack-bar E L, a weight operating ,to force the rack-bar E into engagement with its pinion and to retard the descent of said irack-bar; M, a rock-shaft connected to the feeding-gate, and N a rock-shaft connected to ithe discharging-gate.

v I willfirst describe briefly, in general terms, jthe operation of the machine embodying my gsaid invention.

The shaft D is driven from the main shaft g0through.worm-gearsOf D, as shown most plainly in Fig. 9. The small crank d on the iend' of the shaft D vibrates the lever G, g which is mounted upon and surrounds a hub Jon the ratchet-Wheel H, as shown'most plainly in Fig. 8; The pawl I on the disk I engages with said ratchet-wheel, and said disk is thus caused to move with said ratchet-Wheel in the manner which will be presently explained, and said pawl is adapted to be reversed, so as to reverse'the motion,and alsoto be adjusted by the timing deviceto determine the time which shall elapse between each reversing, as will also be presently explained. At the end of each predetermined period a project- ,ing lug I on this disk engages with and trips the tripping-lever K, disengaging it from a projection on the rack-bar E, permitting said rack-bar to be forced forward by means of the weight L into engagement with the small pinion, which is shown as being formed integrally with the shaft D. -The rotation of this shaft elevates this rack-bar, one proits course anotherro'ection E afterward comes into contact with a projection M on the shaft M, thus opening the feeding-gate.-

This rack-bar is held in engagement with the pinion during its upward travel by reason of a wing E thereon passing outsidea guidefiange a, which is secured to the frame-work A. As will be observed in Fig. 13, this wing is just long enough to hold the rack-bar into engagement until this operation is accomplished. After the rack-bar reaches its complete elevation said wing passes behind this guide-flange and the rack-bar descends, its descent being retarded by its irregular formation at the rear, which comes in contact with the face of the weight L, the formation of which is shown most plainly in Fig. 7.

Iwill'now proceed to describe the mechanism in detail.

The frame A is or may be any suitable frame-work for the purpose, and needs no special description.

The casing B is preferably composed of two semi-cylindrical castings hinged together, and contains the rotating cylinder carrying the operating-knives. Upon the partsA and B are mounted the mechanism of the machine, and also the hopper.

The shaft 0 is the main shaft of the machine. It carries the rotating cylinder, on which are secured the operating-knives, as shown most plainly in Fig. 6, and the worm gear-wheel C, which, through the corresponding gear-wheel D, drives the shaft D. This worm-gearing is enveloped in a casing A, secured to the frame-work, which serves also as a tank for oil or other lubricant. This is quite an important feature, as otherwise this gearing would cut out very rapidly. Running in this tank, with its lower wheel continually running in a lubricant, it wears very slowly, and the durability of the machine is thus much increased.

The shaft D is arranged transversely of the shaft 0 across the end of the machine, and is driven, as just explained, from said shaft C. Through suitable gears D D it drives the shaft D which in turn, through gears D D, drives the conveyer, which is usually used with a machine of this character. The shaft D, the conveyer, and the gear-wheels by which the same are driven are not in themselves, however, features of my presentinvention. Upon the en d of the shaft D is a crank or wrist pin Z, which engages with the bifurcated lower end of the vibrating arm Gand operates said arm, and through said arm sets in motion the mechanism which is the feature of my present invention.

The rack-bar E is hinged upon and is adapted to move up and down on the vertical 'rod F. It is adapted to engage with the small pinion adjacent thereto on the shaft D, and when thus engaged to be elevated by said pinion. It is provided with two projections or projecting arms E and E which engage, respectively, with the arms N and M, and thus through the shafts M and N successively open the gates N and M It is also provided with a wing E, which in ascending passes up outside the projecting guide-flange a on the frame-work and in descending passes down behind said guide-flange. Said flange thus holds said rack-bar into and out of engagement with the pinion duringthe proper periods. Just as said wing E escapes from said guide-flange the projection 6 comes in line with the point on the tripping-lever K and is held thereby, as will be presently more fully explained. The projections or projecting arms E and E are so arranged that in the upward course of this rack-bar the gate N is opened and permitted to close before the gate M is opened. The rack portion of this rackbar, as shown most plainly in Fig. 13, is held to the main portion by small rivets e, and at the upper end is held by a recess in or proj ection on-said main portion. These rivets e are quite small and slight, so that if by accident the operation of the machine should become reversed the force of the pinion on said rack-bar will shear said rivets, and thus avoid injuring any other part of the machine.

The rod F is simply a vertical rod fixedly mounted in projections on the frame-work upon which the rack-bar E is mounted, and which serves both as a hinge-pivot and as a guide or way for said rack-bar in its various movements.

The arm G is caused to move through a small arc of a circle by the crank-pin d, as before described. At each motion it causes the ratchet-wheel H to move the pawl I and the disk I, on which said pawl is mounted, the

space of one tooth, and carries said disk I around in one direction or the other, moving the projection I thereon toward or away from the lever K. Except so .far as their relative positions are adjusted by the device J, the parts G andH are practically one piece.

The ratchet-Wheel H is mounted on a studshaft H, and is adapted to be rotated back and forth on said shaft by the arm G, which is mounted on the hub of this ratchet-wheel.

In the peripheral face of said hub is cut a screw-gear, with which the worm-wheel J engages. The teeth in this worm-wheel correspond in number to the teeth of the ratchetwheel H, so that when said small Worm-wheel J is given one revolution the ratchet-wheel will be moved a space just equal to the size of one of its teeth. Projections g and h on the arm G and ratchet-wheel H, respectively,

,come in contact withand operate the pawl,

either direction. It has a projection z", with which the projections g and It will alternately come in contact, and thus shift it from one position to the other. A spring I is firmly secured to said disk I at one end by a bolt or rivet i and, resting at the other end upon this pawl, holds said pawl into engagement with the ratchet-wheel. The two positions of this pawl and spring relatively to each other are shown in Figs. 7 and 11. The part I, instead of being a solid disk, is preferably divided, as shown most plainly in Fig. 8, with the central portion fast upon the stud-shaft H,while the outer portion (in the form of an annular ring) is mounted thereon, with a spring I seated in a hole therein, which presses against said annular portion, causing friction and preventing the parts from slipping too easily.

The small worm gear-wheel J engages with the worm-gear teeth out in the hub of the wheel H, and is mounted on a shaft which is mounted in a bearing in the hub of the arm G, which, as before stated, is mounted upon and surrounds the hub of the ratchet-wheel H, in which these teeth are cut. It is of that size and cut at that pitch which enables it, when turned, to vary the relation between the parts G and H a distance equal to the size of one of the teeth in said ratchet-wheel H, and thus bring the operating-points g and h just that much nearer together or farther apart, according to the way which this wormwheel J is turned. A small spring-catch 7 holds this adjusting device to the posit-ion to.

which it is turned from time to time.

In the ordinary operation of hominy-lnills the time for treating a charge of grain varies from fifteen seconds to two and a half min utes, and my timing device is capable of this range of adjustment. hen a short time is desired, the parts G and H are so adjusted that the projections g and 7t thereon shall be near together, and when a longer time is desired they are'adjusted so as to be farther apart.

The lever K is mounted on a pivot is on a projecting portion of the frame-work, and is adapted to be tripped by the projection I on the part I. It preferablyhas operative points 7a 7.3 theifirst of which is arranged to hold the rack-bar E back out of engagement until tripped by the projection 1 while the latter is for occasional use only when it is desired to hold said rack-bar out of engagement durin g the pleasure of the operator, which is done by tripping this lever on its pivot until said point It reaches the position ordinarily occupied by the point 7t. It is so formed as to remain in this position byits own gravity until I it is restored to its former position. In its ordinary operation it is held to exactly the position desired by a suitable projection 70 which rests on a corresponding projection on the frame-work when said lever is at rest, as shown most plainly in Figs. 9 and 12. It

will be understood, of course, that immedi-.

ately this lever is tripped by the operation of in the frame-work A.

idirection, opening the gate.

'fected.

- The weightL is mounted in a bearing L, which is adjustably secured by a clamp-barl and clamp-bolt Z in an appropriate opening (See Figs. 7 and 13.) It is so adjusted as to bear against the irregular back surface of the rack-bar E, as shown most plainly in Fig. 7, and thus not only forces said rack-bar forward into engagement with the pinion on'the shaft D when said rack-bar is released from the stop-lever. K, but also, because of the irregular contact-surfaces, retards the descent of'said rack-bar as it passes down out of engagement with its pinion when held by the guide-flange a, .behind which the wing E (of suitable length) on said rack-bar passes. The wing on said rack-bar is so located that it escapes from the guide-flange a just as the projection ethereon comes in front of the point 70 on the lever,'as shown most plainly in Fig. 13,in which figure alone the rack-bar is shown swung out of engagement with the pinion on the shaft D.

The shaft M extends longitudinally through the upper part of the machine at the bottom side of the hopper. It carries a projecting arm M, by which the lifting-bar on the rackbar E is enabled to operate the gate M which closes the opening to the operating-cylinder, and the weighted arm M by which'said gate is closed when released from the operation of the rack-bar. The operation is, simply, when the rack-bar is driven upwardly by the pinion that its projecting arm E comes in contact with the arm M and rocks the shaft in one WVhen this has been done and the rack-bar has descended, the weight m 011 the arm M rocks the shaft in the other direction, closing the gate. This operation is so timed by the timing mechanism that the gate is only opened after the discharging-gate has been both opened and; closed.

The shaft N has a projecting arm N, with which a projection E on the rack-bar E comes in contact, rocking said shaft and throwing its arm N out of engagement with the gate B and permitting said gate to open. Said arm N is preferably armed with a small anti-fricti on roller a which enables it to operate more easily. Then the projection E has passed out of contact with the arm N, the shaft N is rocked in the other direction, and the gate B thereon thereby closed by the arm N which is on the other end of the shaft from that on which the arm Nis mounted, and its weight a As shown most plainly in Fig. 6, the gate is hinged back some distance from the opening, which enables it to close with a shearing operation past the edge of said opening, which prevents the accumulation of any of the product of the machine in the joint, as would be thecase if the hingewere right at the point where the gate and opening come together, and which, if permitted, would endanger the efficiency of the gate and perhaps cause it to be broken.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, in a hominy-mill, of the cylinder B, the discharge-gate B thereto, and the rock-shaft N, for closing said gate, having an arm N armed with an anti-friction roller n, by which said closing is effected,

substantially as described.

2. The combination, in a hominy-mill, of the main shaft C, the transverse shaft D, a worm-gear by which said two shafts are connected,,a crank on one end of said shaft D by which the timing mechanism is operated, and gearing upon the other end'of said shaft by which the conveyer is operated, and a timing mechanism and a conveyer, substantially as shown and described.

3. The combination, in a hominy-mill, of discharging and feeding gates, a continuallyrevolving shaft, a timing mechanism connected thereto and adapted to be periodically op erated thereby, and a rack-bar E, having suitable projections or arms for operating said gates, and also operated by said shaft D at predetermined periods, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination, in a hominy-mill, of the discharging and feeding gates, a continually revolving shaft D, a pinion thereon, a hinged rack-bar E, having arms or projections adapted to open said gates, and mechanism whereby said rack-bar is periodically swung into engagement with said pinion and thereby operated, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination, in a hominy-mill, of a timing mechanism, a continually-revolving shaft D, apinion thereon, a hinged rack-bar arranged to be operated by said pinion, a

tripping device adapted to be operated by j the mechanism for operating the gates, of a v timing device embodying a disk carrying a said timing mechanism, a guide-flange on the frame-work adjacent to said rack-bar, and a wing on said rack-bar adapted to successively pass up in front and down behind said guideflange, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination,in a hominy-mill, with a continually-revolving shaft, a pinion thereon, and a rack-bar adapted to be periodically operated by said pinion, of a pivoted weight L, whereby at the predetermined periods the rack-bar is adapted to be forced forward into engagement with said pinion, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination, in a hominy-mill, with the gates and a reciprocating rack-bar adapted to operate said gates, of an irregular sura face on the structure of said rack-bar and a the rack-bar for operating the gates, of a trippin g-lever having two engaging-points adapted to come in contact with a projection on said rack-bar, one of which is adapted to hold said rack-bar out of engagement with its driver during predetermined periods and the other of which is adapted to hold'it out of engagement during the pleasure of the operator,

substantially as set forth.

10. The combination of the continually-revolving shaft D, having a crank-pin d, an arm vibrated by said crank-pin, a ratchet-wheel operated by said arm, a disk having a projection and carrying a pawl operated by said ratchet-wheel, a tripping-lever operated by said projection, and a rack-bar for operating the gates, adapted to be thrown into operation when said lever is tripped.

11. The combination, in a hominy-mill, with the mechanism for operating the gates, of a timing device consisting of a ratchet-wheel adapted to be moved back and forth on its pivot, two projections thereon, and a disk alongside said ratchet-wheel carrying a pivoted pawl having a projection extending between said two projections carried .by said ratchet-wheel, whereby said pawl is adapted to be shifted and its ends alternately engaged with said ratchet-wheel, whereby said pawl and the disk whereby it is carried are moved alternately in one direction and the other and the parts operated thereby are periodically tripped, substantially as set forth.

12. The combination, in a hominy-mill, with projection and a reversing-pawl, a projection 011 said pawl, and a reciprocating ratchetwheel engaging with said pawl and carrying two projections, whereby said pawl may be reversed, substantially as set forth.

13. The combination, in a hominy-mill, with the mechanism for operating the gates, of a timing device embodying a disk carrying a reversing-pawl, a reciprocating ratchet-wheel for operatm g said pawl, divided into two parts,

each part carrying a projection adapted to engage with a projection on said pawl, whereby said pawl may be reversed, and a screwgear connecting said two parts, whereby their relative positions to each other may be varied and the distance between the two projections be thus also varied, and thus the period which shall elapse between the reversing of the pawl .may be accurately but variably predetermined, substantially as set forth.

14. In a hominy-mill, the combination of the arm G, the wheel H, and the adjustinggear J, substantially as set forth.

15. In a hominy-mill, the combination of the arm G, the wheelH, the ad ustinggear J, and the spring-catch j, substantially as set forth.

16. In a hominy-mill, the combination of a driving shaft, a vibrating arm, a ratchetwheel operated by said arm, a disk operated through a pawl thereon by said ratchet-wheel, said pawl, a trip-lever operated by said disk, and a rack-bar with which said lever engages, substantially as set forth.

17. The combination, in a hominy-mill, of a continually-revolving shaft, a pinion thereon, a rack-bar adapted to be periodically operated ,by said pinion, a pivoted weight L, whereby at the predetermined periods the rack-bar is adapted to be forced forward into engagement with said pinion, and an adj ustable bearing whereon said pivoted weight is mounted, substantially as set forth.

18. The combination, in a hominy-mill, of a trip-lever by which the gate-operating mechanism is set in motion, a two-part disk carrying a projection for operating said lever, and

a spring inserted in the inner part of said disk and bearing against the interior surface of the outer part thereof, thus causing friction and preventing said outer part from moving too easily, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

19. The combination,in a hominy-mill, of a tripping-lever by which the gate-operating mechanism is thrown into operative engagement, a rotating disk carrying a projection adapted to operate said lever, a pawl pivoted on said rotating disk and provided with two engaging teeth or points, one at each end, and mechanism whereby said pawl may be reversed, and a ratchet-wheel whereby said pawl and the disk carried thereby may be operated, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

20. The combination, in a hominy-mill, ofa continually-revolvin g shaft, a pinion thereon, a rack-bar adapted to periodically engage with said pinion, and a vertical rod F,wh1ch passes through holes in ears on said rackbar, and which thus serves both as a hingepivot and as a track or way on which said rack-bar may swing and travel, substantially as shown and described.

21. The combination, in a hominy-mill, of a driving-shaft carrying a pinion, a rack-bar adapted to be driven by said pinion to operate the gates, the rack-bar portion whereof is seated on the main portion in a recess or under a projection at one end and secured to said main portion by small rivets, whereby when the machine is accidentally driven in the wrong direction said rack portion may be-' come detached from said main portion by shearing or breaking said rivets without damage to the rest of the machine, substantially as set forth.

22. The combination, in a hominy-mill, of one or more gates, a continually-revolving shaft, a timing mechanism connected thereto and adapted to be periodically operated thereby, and a rack-bar constructed to engage w1th and operate said gate or gates, said rack-bar being also operated by said shaft at predetermined periods, substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof I havehereunto set my hand and seal, at Indianapolis, Indiana, this 15th day of February, A. D. 1890.

JESSE WARRINGTON. [L.

WVitnesses:

OHAs. E. TEST, HERBERT H. RICE. 

